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Monday, September 13, 2010

Public Speaking: I Like Humor. Where Can I Find It?




I say again. Humor surrounds you if you just open your eyes to it. Your own
personal life situations are always the best. Next in line would be updated and
personalized humor taken from other sources.

You can find instantly usable humor (instant as soon as you practice and
twist it around a little bit) on television, in the newspaper, in books, on the
Internet, in Reader's Digest, in joke services, and from other speakers (always,
always give credit). You could even have your own speech/joke writers as long
as you can find one that understands you and your industry.

When using any of these sources, be ready with a pencil and paper or tape
recorder to grab the stuff you like. You will look through much more material
than you could ever use. The old saying is that you have to sift through a lot of
dirt to get to the gold.

I have more than 400 volumes in my humor library now and it's growing all
the time. Here are just a few humor references I always check when working on
a new presentation:



  • Witty Words by Eileen Mason

  • Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, Edited by Evan
    Esar


  • Humorous Stories About the Human Condition by
    Eric W. Johnson


  • The Public Speakers Handbook of Humor by Helen
    & Larry Eisenberg


  • 2715 One Line Quotations for Speakers, Writers and
    Raconteurs
    by Edward Murphy


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